Monthly archive

January 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

All God's creatures -- great and small

I understand that all of us on this earth are put here for a purpose -- humans or critters, but I have to admit that when it comes to some of those critters I'm fairly squeamish and not necessarily inclined to grant pardons when they show up in my space.


As a kid, especially in a beach house prone to unwelcome visitors, I was known for watching a spider crawling and screaming my head off until my father came to deal with it. I was only marginally better the time I spotted a bag of cookies jumping around on the kitchen table, looked in the little window in the package and spotted a mouse!


As an adult, I've discovered that all too often screaming at the sight of some intruder accomplishes little. I've had to learn to go after spiders, palmetto bugs and other creepy crawly things all on my own. I even bravely ventured to the home of a panicked friend one day to dispose of a bat! It was already dead, thank heavens, but it was not exactly a chore I relished.


That little act of bravery aside, there is one creature which creeps me out so badly that just the thought of it gives me nightmares -- snakes! You can tell me from now till doomsday that many of them serve a useful purpose, that not all are poisonous and that many, in fact, make perfectly acceptable pets. I won't believe you. Neither, I suspect, would a lot of other people.


Therefore it was with some dismay and a great deal of the yuck-factor that I watched a snake slithering up the body of a mostly naked woman in a TV commercial last night. I can't imagine anything more disgusting, which is pretty much a major turn-off when it comes to ever considering the product advertised, a drink called Pom, which I gather is pomegranate juice. They can boast forever that it's an amazing anti-oxident and it probably is. I've actually enjoyed it from another manufacturer. They can think of the ad's clever insiuation that it was a pomegranate that Eve had in the Garden of Eden, not an apple, but nothing will ever convince me to touch the stuff, at least not this particular brand of it. What were they thinking, that it would lure macho men into carting it off store shelves by the gallon?


Who knows? Maybe it will. The woman was, after all, mostly naked and I imagine that slithering snake has all sorts of connotations, but seriously? A way to sell pomegranate juice? Not to me, that's for sure.


Are there commercials that turn you off so badly you'd never buy the product? Or, on the flip side, that charm you into wanting whatever they're selling? For instance, I'm crazy about the one in which a nearly extinct member of the polar bear family hugs a hybrid car. Chime in by clicking on comments below, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook and posting there. Remember, if you're looking for me on Facebook, please click on Sherryl Woods Author. While I'm happy to have you as a friend on my regular page, all the fun's going to be happening on the fan page, including polls, discussions and the occasional contest for special prizes. Come join us, if you haven't already.

  • Login or register to post comments
  • Share this
Tags:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Words matter

It's no huge surprise that an author happens to believe in the power of words, but it's probably a lesson all of us need to keep in our hearts just now. I've been thinking about this a lot since the tragedy in Tucson over the weekend.

We may never know precisely the breaking point that led a young man to cause such senseless carnage, but I can't help believing that today's society contributed to his state of mind. For some years now -- and not just in this past election cycle -- politicians and everyday citizens have taken all civility out of the discourse when it comes to running the government, running for office or running off our mouths about what those in power are doing. I was asked several years ago in a poll what change I wanted most to see in political reform. My reply then and even more so now: a return of civility. John Boehner got it right on the day he became the new Speaker of the House when he said it's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

But sadly, that rare moment of reason isn't likely to last much beyond the first pounding of that oversized gavel...unless the shooting in Tucson does what nothing else has and restores reason, not only in Washington, but all over our society.

We can't put individuals on websites with a target superimposed and not foresee that some deranged individual could take it as permission to kill. We can't use phrases that amount to a call to arms without accepting some level of responsibility if someone takes us literally.

And it's not just the politicians who need to tone it down. All of us need to be mindful that words matter. A friend of mine is constantly taking me to task for saying that I hate this or hate that. He reminds me that hate is a strong word, usually far too powerful and emotionally-charged for what I'm trying to convey. He's right. There are a lot of words like that we toss around far too casually, unmindful of the hurt they can convey, the power that they have to stir emotions we never intended.

You and I may not be able to change how politicians communicate their views, but we can change how we speak to and about one another, and about them. It also wouldn't hurt when the politicians start amping up the rhetoric, if we called them on it. It's one thing to disagree with someone, to argue passionately for a position. It's quite another to demonize those who disagree.

It's just like disciplining a child, I think. We always need to separate the behavior we don't like from the child we love. Policy positions may not be to our liking, but the people who believe in them are not evil. Misguided, to our way of thinking, perhaps, but human beings worthy of respect.

I know. It's all easier said than done, especially in the heat of an argument. But, after Tucson, it's never been more important that we try to get it right.

Tags:
Saturday, January 1, 2011

It's a new year, therefore I resolve...

Whew, we made it through another one!! 2010 is gone. No matter what you thought of it, it's over. Time to move on. Just like a newborn, we start today fresh. 2011 can be anything we want it to be.


First, though, we have to decide what we want and then -- oh, no -- we have to work for it!


Just yesterday I heard what sounded like great advice about making goals for the new year both specific and manageable. For instance, we shouldn't just resolve to diet (not terribly specific) or to lose 100 pounds before bathing suit season (not very realistic). Nope, the way to keep those resolutions is to make them specific (10 pounds) AND realistic (10 pounds by Valentine's Day!).


The other key apparently is to hold ourselves accountable. What a concept! It's something we fail to do far too often, it seems to me. No one wants to take responsibility for anything. Just look at a couple of the big examples from this past year -- BP and the oil spill and Toyota and its too-long-delayed recalls. Individually, we're not much better. It probably starts when we're kids and it's much more satisfying to blame the empty cookie jar on a sibling, especially when we can get away with it.


At any rate, if we're going to succeed with these resolutions, then we're supposed to take note of what we've accomplished -- or blown to bits -- every day.


Sadly, despite all this good advice, I've been working on the same resolution for a couple of years now and it's right back on the list this year. I want to be less judgmental. I know what I mean by that. You probably do, too. I want to stop thinking, if not saying, to people that they're wrong, that they're making a mistake, that what they're doing is dumber than dirt. Sometimes these situations are, quite frankly, none of my business in the first place, so my opinion is not only unwanted, it's unwarranted. What I need is a mental shut-up button when this desire to make judgments sweeps over me. Sadly, however, I don't quite have one yet, but I am working on it. At least I can catch myself some of the time before I blurt out an opinion without having walked in the other person's shoes.


That's my big resolution and it will probably be on the list again next year, too, because my progress can be measured in very tiny increments.


Whatever you've resolved to do in 2011, I hope you can apply that very good advice to keep it specific, keep it realistic and hold yourself accountable. And may this be your very best year ever!!